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Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), nicknamed "Zizou", is a French professional football coach and former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Zidane was an elite playmaker, renowned for his elegance, vision, ball control and technique, and played as an attacking midfielder for Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid. At club level, Zidane won two Serie A league titles with Juventus, before a move to Real Madrid for a world record fee of €77.5 million in 2001, which remained unmatched for the next eight years. In Spain, Zidane won the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League, with his left-foot volleyed winner in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final considered to be one of the greatest goals in the competition's history. Zidane also won an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup with both teams.

After retiring as a player, Zidane transitioned into coaching, becoming assistant coach at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti for the 2013–14 season. After a successful year in which the club won the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey, Zidane became the coach of Real Madrid's B team, Real Madrid Castilla.[13] He remained in the position for two years before taking the helm of the first team in January 2016.[14] In his first two seasons as manager, Zidane won the UEFA Champions League twice, a La Liga title, a Supercopa de España, and both the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup twice.[15] His success saw him named Best FIFA Men's Coach in 2017.[16] In 2018, Zidane led Real Madrid to another UEFA Champions League, his third in a row, becoming the only coach in the history of football to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles,[17][18] but resigned a few days after the victory.[19][20]

Early life and career

La Castellane in the northwestern edge of Marseille where Zidane was born in 1972La Corniche, seaside roadway along the coast of Marseille, with a mural of Zidane on the wall

His father worked as a warehouseman and nightwatchman at a department store, often on the night shift, while his mother was a housewife.[22] The family lived a reasonably comfortable life by the standards of the neighbourhood, which was notorious throughout Marseille for its high crime and unemployment rates.[23][26] Zidane credits his strict upbringing and his father as the "guiding light" in his career.[25]

It was in Castellane where Zidane had his earliest introduction in football, joining in at the age of five in football games that the neighbourhood's children played on the Place Tartane, an 80-by-12-yard plaza that served as the main square of the housing complex.[27] In July 2011, Zidane named former Marseille players Blaž Slišković, Enzo Francescoli and Jean-Pierre Papin as his idols while growing up.[28][29] At the age of ten, Zidane got his first player's licence after joining the junior team of a local club from Castellane by the name of US Saint-Henri.[30] After spending a year and a half at US Saint-Henri, Zidane joined SO Septèmes-les-Vallons when the Septèmes coach Robert Centenero convinced the club's Director to get Zidane.[30] Zidane stayed with Septèmes until the age of 14, at which time he was selected to attend a three-day training camp at the CREPS (Regional Centre for Sports and Physical Education) in Aix-en-Provence, one of several such footballing institutes run by the French Football Federation. It was here that Zidane was spotted by AS Cannes scout and former player Jean Varraud, who recommended him to the training centre director of the club.[7] As a 14 year old watching the 1986 World Cup, the performance of Diego Maradona left an indelible mark on him, with Zidane stating Maradona "was on another level".[31]

Club career

Cannes

"He’d go past one, two, three, five, six players – it was sublime. His feet spoke with the ball"

Zidane went to AS Cannes for a six-week stay, but ended up remaining at the club for four years to play at the professional level. Having left his family to join Cannes, he was invited by Cannes Director Jean-Claude Elineau to leave the dormitory he shared with 20 other trainees and to come and stay with him and his family. Zidane later said that while living with the Elineaus he found equilibrium.[22]

It was at Cannes where Zidane's first coaches noticed that he was raw and sensitive, prone to attack spectators who insulted his race or family.[32] His first coach, Jean Varraud, encouraged him to channel his anger and focus on his own game. Zidane spent his first weeks at Cannes mainly on cleaning duty as a punishment for punching an opponent who mocked his ghetto origins.[32] The occasional violence that he would display throughout his career was shaped by an internal conflict of being an Algerian-Frenchman suspended between cultures, and surviving the tough streets of La Castellane where he grew up.[32]

Zidane made his professional debut with Cannes on 18 May 1989 in a French Division 1 match against Nantes.[33] He scored his first goal for the club on 10 February 1991[34] also against Nantes in a 2–1 win. After the match during a party for all the Cannes players, Zidane was given a car by Cannes chairman Alain Pedretti, who had promised him one the day he scored his first goal for the club.[35] On the pitch, Zidane displayed extraordinary technique on the ball, offering glimpses of the talent that would take him to the top of the world game.[7] In his first full season with Cannes, the club secured its first ever European football berth by qualifying for the UEFA Cup after finishing fourth in the league. This remains the club's highest finish in the top flight since getting relegated for the first time from the first division in the 1948–49 season.[36]

As the playmaker at Juve, Zidane played just behind forward Alessandro Del Piero, with Del Piero recalling, "Zidane had an extraordinary talent, which contributed to his sole interest in helping the team. He was not a selfish player. He had a unique ability to be a great and to be a team player. I was lucky to play with him."[49] He lost in the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund when he was unable to make an impression against the close marking of Paul Lambert.[50]

Real Madrid

In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid for a world record fee of 150billion Italian lire,[52][53] (about €77.5million by fixed exchange rate; a reported 12.8billion pesetas[54]) in instalments,[55] and signed a four-year contract. The latest addition to the Galácticos era of global stars signed by Real Madrid every year, in his first season at the club Zidane scored a famous match-winning goal, a volley hit with his weaker foot, in Madrid's 2–1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final, completing his personal quadruple.[56] The goal has been cited as one of the greatest in Champions League history.[57][58][59] The magnitude of the strike saw Zidane produce one of his most emotional goal celebrations as he ran towards the touchline with mouth wide open, screaming in delight.[60]

"He dominates the ball, he is a walking spectacle and he plays as if he had silk gloves on each foot. He makes it worthwhile going to the stadium – he's one of the best I have ever seen."

While Zidane's final season of club football ended without a trophy, he enjoyed success on a personal note by scoring his first hat-trick, against Sevilla, in a 4–2 win in January 2006.[62] He ended the season for Real Madrid as their second highest goalscorer and assists provider behind teammates Ronaldo and David Beckham respectively, with nine goals and ten assists in 28 games.[63] On 7 May 2006, Zidane, who had announced his plans to retire after the 2006 World Cup,[64] played his farewell match and scored in a 3–3 draw with Villarreal. The squad wore commemorative shirts with ZIDANE 2001–2006 below the club logo. The 80,000 fans inside the Santiago Bernabéu held up a banner reading, "Thanks for the magic."[7]

International career

Both France and Algeria consider Zidane a citizen. It was rumoured that coach Abdelhamid Kermali denied Zidane a position for the Algerian squad because he felt the young midfielder was not fast enough.[66] However, Zidane dismissed the rumour in a 2005 interview, saying that he would have been ineligible to play for Algeria because he had already played for France.[67]

Euro 1996

Despite not being at his best during the tournament, France reached the last four. Zidane was not yet fully established in the French team and his level was quite average during the whole event, but he managed to score in the penalty shootout in both the quarter-final and semi-final. France was eliminated in the Euro 96 semi-finals in a penalty shootout against the Czech Republic.[70]

1998 World Cup

Following France's World Cup win, an image of Zidane was projected on the Arc de Triomphe (pictured) along with the words "Merci Zizou".[71]

The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the first World Cup that Zidane participated in. It was held in his home country France. The French team won all three games in the group stage but Zidane was sent off in the second match against Saudi Arabia for a stamp on Fuad Anwar, becoming the first French player to receive a red card in a World Cup Finals match. Without their playmaker France proceeded to win 1–0 in the round of sixteen game against Paraguay and, on his return to the side, defeated Italy 4–3 on penalties after a goalless draw in the quarter-finals. France then defeated Croatia 2–1 in the semi-final. Zidane played a major role in the team's accomplishment, though he had yet to score a goal at the World Cup.[72]

Zidane and France went on to play against defending champions and favourites Brazil at the Stade de France in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final. France dominated Brazil from the kick-off, with Zidane scoring two similar goals, both headers from corner kicks taken by Emmanuel Petit and Youri Djorkaeff. Courtesy of Zidane's two goals, France went into the half-time break 2–0 up with one hand on the World Cup trophy.[7] Petit added a third goal deep in stoppage time to seal the 3–0 win and France's first ever World Cup. Named man of the match, Zidane became an instant national hero and would receive the Légion d'honneur later that year.[71] More than one million people lined the Champs-Élysées in Paris, with celebrations centred around the Arc de Triomphe.[73][74]

Zidane himself believes he was at his peak during the tournament, while the UEFA website states, "In Belgium and the Netherlands, Zidane dominated a major championship in a way no individual had managed since Diego Maradona in 1986. From the opening game against Denmark to the final against Italy, 'Zizou' shone brightly, casting a spell on his opponents with clever flicks, mesmerising stepovers, slaloming runs and masterful vision."[78]

2002 World Cup

As reigning world and European champions, France entered the 2002 World Cup in Japan/Korea as favourites but a thigh injury sustained in a warm up match before the tournament prevented Zidane from playing in France's first two matches and without their talisman, the French team failed to score in either match. He was rushed back prematurely for the third game despite not being fully fit, but could not prevent France from being ignominiously eliminated in the group stage without scoring a single goal; the worst performance by a defending champion in the history of the competition.[79]

Euro 2004

At Euro 2004, France topped their group with wins over England and Switzerland, before being knocked out in the quarter finals by eventual champions Greece in a surprise 1–0 loss.[80] In the opening match against England, Zidane scored a free kick and penalty in stoppage time to turn impending defeat into a 2–1 victory.[81][82] After France's elimination, Zidane announced his retirement from international football.[83]

France had a slow start to the 2006 Finals and, after being suspended for the third match of the group stage, Zidane returned to set up a goal for Patrick Vieira and score one himself in the second round match against Spain.[87] In the quarter-final France held Brazil to just one shot on goal in the rematch of the 1998 final. Zidane assisted Thierry Henry's deciding goal and was named Man of the Match by FIFA.[88][89] France faced Portugal in the semi-final and, as in Brussels six years earlier, Zidane's penalty kick decided the contest and sent France to another major final.[90][91]

Before the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament.[92] Having already announced he was to retire after the expiration of his Real Madrid contract at the end of the 2005–06 season, the world of football already knew Zidane's second World Cup final was to be the last match of his career. Seven minutes into the match Zidane put France ahead with a Panenka-style penalty kick which struck the crossbar and bounced just over the goal line[93] to become only the fourth player in World Cup history to score in two different finals, along with Pelé, Paul Breitner, and Vavá, in addition to being tied for first place with Vavá, Pelé and Geoff Hurst with three World Cup final goals apiece. He almost scored a second goal during the first period of extra time but his header was saved by Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Zidane was then sent off in the 110th minute of the game after headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest,[94] so he did not participate in the penalty shootout which Italy won 5–3.[95] Zidane's actions made headlines all over the world, while in France Le Figaro called his head-butt "odious," and the front page of L'Equipe asked, "What should we tell our children, for whom you have become an example for ever? ... How could that happen to a man like you?"[91]

"The match you played last night was full of talent and professionalism. I know that you are sad and disappointed but what I want to tell you is that the whole country is extremely proud of you. You have honoured the country with your exceptional qualities and your fantastic fighting spirit, which was your strength in difficult times, but also in winning times."

—President of France, Jacques Chirac, pays tribute to Zidane in Paris after the 2006 World Cup.[91]

Upon his return to France, the Place de la Concorde in Paris was filled with thousands of fans waving flags and rhythmically chanting "Zizou! Zizou!," and tributes were led by the French president Jacques Chirac.[91] Chirac's words reflected the feeling of the French public, with polls done in the immediate wake of the incident showing support for Zidane: 61% of French people said they had already forgiven him for his actions while 52% said they understood them.[91] According to French journalist Philippe Auclair, Zidane's performances in the knock-out rounds were "ranked among his finest in a blue shirt."[91] As the player of the tournament, Zidane had given the team hope, with the French daily newspaper Libération stating, "For a month, France was dreaming with Zidane."[91] Zidane remained an icon to the French public, and one French writer stated, "It's good for us to see our national hero is fallible."[91] It was later revealed through interviews that Marco Materazzi had insulted Zidane's sister, which led to Zidane's heightened anger and reaction.[96] In 2010, Zidane said that he would "rather die than apologize" to Materazzi for the headbutt in the final,[97] but also admitted that he "could never have lived with himself" had he been allowed to remain on the pitch and help France win the match.[98] He later said, "If you look at the fourteen red cards I had in my career, twelve of them were a result of provocation. This isn't justification, this isn't an excuse, but my passion, temper and blood made me react."[99]

Following his red card in the final, Zidane retired from professional football and confirmed that he would not go back on his decision.[100] He was sentenced by FIFA to a three match suspension for the red card.[101] He agreed to complete three days of community service with children in one of FIFA's humanitarian projects.[102] Zidane ended up tying with Brazil's Cafu for the record for most cards given in World Cup matches, with six.[103]

Retirement

Since his retirement, Zidane has regularly played for the Real Madrid Veterans team. He has also made several futsal appearances. In 2015 he played in a futsal tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, during which an opposition player received a yellow card to much amusement for taking an in-match selfie with Zidane.[104] In an interview in June 2008, Zidane stated that he wanted to return to football, but that he had no immediate plans to do so.[105]

On 1 June 2009, Zidane was announced as the advisor to the president after Florentino Pérez was named president of Real Madrid for the second time.[106] He, along with general director Jorge Valdano and sporting director Miguel Pardeza, were to be the key decisionmakers on the sporting side of the club.[106] After France's dismal campaign in the 2010 World Cup, Zidane said that he did not plan to move into coaching any time soon.[107]

Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid committee announced in September 2010 that Zidane had been appointed as an ambassador for Qatar's attempt to host the 2022 World Cup.[108] After FIFA announced on 2 December 2010 that Qatar had won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup,[109] Zidane stated that he was "very pleased" with the outcome.[110] Zidane spoke of the message he was trying to convey in the campaign: "I was saying that football belonged to the whole world. I’m proud to have made my contribution to a new country getting the World Cup. Qatar and the entire Middle East as a whole deserves this event and that makes me happy. It's a victory for the Arab world."[12] Zidane has supported two Olympic bids for Paris, including the 2012 Summer Olympics which was narrowly won by London and later Paris' successful bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Paris will also be hosting the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[111]

Charity activities

Zidane at the Danone Nations Cup, 2008. A football tournament involving 2.5million children from over 11,000 clubs from around the globe, Zidane is its ambassador.

On 24 February 2007, before a crowd of 10,000 fans at a match in northern Thailand for the Keuydaroon children's AIDS charity, Zidane scored the first goal and set up the second for a Malaysian teammate as the match ended 2–2. The event raised ฿260,000 ($7,750). This money paid for the building of two schools and 16 three-bedroom houses.[112]

On 19 November 2008, Zidane took part in the fifth annual Match Against Poverty in Málaga, Spain, which also ended in a 2–2 draw; he went scoreless but set up his team's second goal. He and Ronaldo, who collaborated in conceiving the yearly event to benefit the United Nations Development Programme, regularly captain their respective teams consisting of active footballers, other professional athletes and celebrities.[113] Zidane, a UN Goodwill Ambassador since 2001, stated before the game that "everyone can do something to make the world a better place."[114]

On 2 June 2013, Zidane took part in a charity match played at Old Trafford as part of the Manchester United Legends vs. Real Madrid Legends reverse fixture. The first leg took place in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Part of a team that included the likes of Figo, Fernando Redondo and Manolo Sanchís, the fixture raised funds for the Manchester United Foundation.[117] The 12th Match against Poverty took place in Saint-Étienne, France on Monday 20 April 2015, where Ronaldo and Zidane teamed up with other football stars against past and present players of French Ligue 1 club AS Saint-Étienne. According to UNDP, "two-thirds of all proceeds will go towards helping the hardest-hit countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone build back better from the Ebola epidemic."[118] In June 2018, Zidane reunited with his France 1998 World Cup winning teammates to play a charity game against an All-Star side which included Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. In a 3–2 win for France, Thierry Henry played a no-look one-two pass with Zidane before scoring, with Zidane then curling in a 25-yard free kick.[119]

Managerial career

Zidane in 2013. He was the Real Madrid assistant coach for the 2013–14 season.

In November 2010, Zidane was appointed as a special adviser to Real Madrid's first team in response to an appeal made by then-Real Madrid coach José Mourinho for the former Real midfielder to work more closely with the team. In his new role, Zidane was expected to participate in Champions League events and functions and was also to travel with the first team on a regular basis and participate in pre-match gatherings, training sessions and meetings with the head coach.[120] In July 2011, it was announced that he would become Real Madrid's new sporting director.[121] In 2013, Zidane was appointed assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.[122]

Real Madrid Castilla

In June 2014, Real Madrid announced that Zidane would be the coach of Real Madrid's B team, Real Madrid Castilla.[13] On 29 August, the director of the Spanish National Football Coach Education Centre (CENAFE), Miguel Galán, reported Zidane for acting as Real Madrid Castilla's head coach without the necessary coaching badges.[123] According to Galán, "No one who has anything to do with the football world can be unaware that Zidane is acting as Real Madrid Castilla's head coach this season. It is a fait accompli that has been widely accepted, as shown by media reports, and Real Madrid do not deny it."[123] While the official match report for Castilla's opening game in the Segunda División B lists Santiago Sánchez as the Los Blancos' head coach and Zidane as his assistant, Galán states, "This hierarchy only exists on paper. The truth is the exact opposite: Zidane is acting as Real Madrid Castilla's head coach, while, with all due respect to him as a colleague, Mr Sánchez's role basically boils down to providing the badges."[123][124]

Real Madrid

On 4 January 2016, Real Madrid announced the dismissal of manager Rafael Benítez and on the same day Zidane was appointed the new manager of the club on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[125] His first match as the club's new manager took place five days later, when Real Madrid beat Deportivo La Coruña 5–0 in a La Liga match.[126] In his first El Clásico as a manager, held on 2 April at the Camp Nou, Zidane led his club to a 2–1 win over Barcelona to end Barça's 39-match unbeaten run.[127] Zidane thus became the first Real Madrid manager to win his first Clásico match since Bernd Schuster in December 2007.[128]

On 4 May, Zidane led Real Madrid to a place in the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final by beating Manchester City 1–0 on aggregate.[129] In La Liga, Real Madrid finished runners up, just one point behind Barcelona. In the Champions League final on 28 May, Real Madrid defeated fellow Madrid club Atlético Madrid in a penalty shootout to grab the 11th European Cup (La Undécima) in club history. Zidane became the seventh man to win the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) as both a player and a manager, the second man (after Miguel Muñoz) to win the trophy with Real Madrid as both a player and a manager, and the first French manager, except the French-Argentinian Helenio Herrera, to win the trophy.[130][131][132]

Zidane, with his Real Madrid players, standing to the right of Madrid mayor Manuela Carmena after Real had won their 33rd La Liga title, May 2017

On 12 January 2017, Madrid's draw against Sevilla FC in the second leg of the Copa del Rey round of 16 saw him win his 40th consecutive match without a loss – creating a new Spanish record, beating Luis Enrique's record of 39 matches undefeated with Barcelona.[135][136] Zidane later led Madrid to the La Liga title, their 33rd in history, by defeating Málaga 2–0.[137]

On 3 June 2017, Zidane led Real Madrid to a 4–1 win against Italian side Juventus in the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final at Cardiff to grab the club's 12th European Cup (La Duodécima). This victory meant that Madrid were the first ever team to win the Champions League back-to-back, as well as recording Zidane's first double as coach, and the club's first since 1956–57.[138] With Real's Champions League victory, Zidane became only the second manager to win the European Cup in his first two seasons in management, alongside fellow Real Madrid manager José Villalonga.[139]

He later won the 2017 UEFA Super Cup 2–1 against Manchester United on 8 August.[140] This meant Zidane was the first manager to win two UEFA Super Cups in a row since Arrigo Sacchi's Milan in 1990. Five days later, Real Madrid beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou 1–3 in the first leg of the 2017 Supercopa de España. Three days later, Real won the second leg 2–0, 5–1 on aggregate, while ending Barcelona's consecutive scoring record in El Clásico.[141] This title tied Zidane with Vicente del Bosque as the third most successful Real Madrid manager with 7 titles, one short of Luis Molowny, but still 7 away from Miguel Muñoz. This also meant, that at the time, Zidane had won as many titles in his managerial position in Real Madrid as games lost during his tenure. Zidane's success saw him named Best FIFA Men's Coach in 2017.[16] In December 2017, Zidane won his eighth trophy as manager when Real defeated Grêmio in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[142] On 26 May, Zidane won the Champions League for the third time in a row, beating Liverpool 3–1 in the final. He became one of three managers, alongside Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti, to win the European Cup three times, while also becoming the first manager to win the trophy in three consecutive seasons.[17]

On 31 May, five days after the Champions League Final, Zidane announced his resignation as Real Madrid manager, citing the club's "need for change" as his rationale for departing.[19][20]

Reception and legacy

"Zidane is the master. Over the past ten years, there's been no one like him, he has been the best player in the world.
"

Many authoritative voices have acclaimed Zidane's skills and importance in the history of football, such as Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who called Zidane "a monster" for his performance and abilities.[144] German coach Franz Beckenbauer stated, "Zidane is one of the greatest players in history, a truly magnificent player."[144] Italy manager Marcello Lippi, who also coached Zidane, opined, "I think Zidane is the greatest talent we've known in football these last twenty years."[144] Former England manager Kevin Keegan said, "You look at Zidane and think 'I've never seen a player quite like that.' What sets Zidane apart is the way he manipulates a football, buying himself space that isn't there. Add his vision and it makes him very special."[145] At the 1998 World Cup, Italian manager Cesare Maldini said, "I would give up five players to have Zidane in my squad."[146]

In terms of ball retention he was probably the greatest player of all time, blessed with such grace and supernatural awareness that he could play a game of real-life Pac-Man and never be caught.

Among his playing peers, Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović commented, "Zidane was from another planet. When Zidane stepped onto the pitch, the ten other guys just got suddenly better. It is that simple."[148]David Beckham has described Zidane as "the greatest of all time",[149][150] Barcelona star Xavi has stated in a 2010 interview that Zidane was "best player in the '90s and early 2000s",[151] while Brazilian defender and former Madrid teammate Roberto Carlos has said of Zidane, "He is the best player I've seen. Supporters arrived earlier at the Bernabéu just to see him warm-up."[152] Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho stated, "Zidane is one of the best footballers of all time, one of my idols. He had such elegance and grace, a wonderful touch and superb vision."[153] Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard regards Zidane as "the best ever", and growing up he learned from his idol by "watching him on television and online for hours."[154][155]

Zidane's France home jersey from the 2006 World Cup. An elite playmaker, he wore number 10 for much of his international career.

Displaying skills with an array of moves such as his signature La Roulette pirouette, step overs and close ball control, former Brazilian international Rivaldo enjoyed watching Zidane more than any other player, stating, "His elegance of movement on the pitch and his skills are uncanny."[156] Journalist Sid Lowe wrote, "Zidane was football's answer to the Bolshoi Ballet. Zidane was elegance above all else."[157] Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso opined, "What he could do with a football is a dream for most of us."[158] In 2005, upon Zidane's return to the French national team, his teammate Thierry Henry stated, "In France, everybody realized that God exists, and that he is back in the French international team."[159] Zidane has been lauded by sportsmen outside football; having witnessed Zidane's goal against Deportivo La Coruña in January 2002, where he dragged the ball right then left, turning the defender inside out, before scoring with a left foot finish, basketball player Magic Johnson stated, "One of the most inspiring nights of my life. Zidane is a phenomenon."[160]

Reception as manager

Despite establishing himself as one of the most successful managers of his era and in the history of Real Madrid,[upper-alpha 1] Zidane's time at Real Madrid was considered by some to be shadowed by a partial amount of luck.[upper-alpha 2] However, Zidane's tactical philosophy, particularly his tactical flexibility, has been praised by many.[168][169][170][171] His use of in-game substitutions was particularly praised, as many of his substitutes led to victories, such as introducing Marco Asensio and Lucas Vázquez in order to provide pace and width against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League to overturn a 1–0 deficit into a 3–1 victory. His introduction of Gareth Bale for similar reasons in the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final also reaped similar rewards. It is also noted that his team focused on attacking through the flanks,[172] while he is credited for popularising the 4–4–2 diamond formation in contemporary football.[173]

On the other hand, some consider that Zidane's role was more focused in grinding out results and uniting the dressing room, rather than having a fixed tactic scheme.[174][175] Zidane emphasised the importance of players' physical levels and preferred to choose impactful players over a defined system.[176]

In popular culture

Zidane's Z5 Group is a sporting complex made up of five a side football pitches sponsored by Adidas

On 5 November 2006, Zidane appeared in the American animated sitcom Family Guy, seen headbutting an old lady in the episode "Saving Private Brian" as a parody of his headbutt on Materazzi.[185] The infamous headbutt has also been the subject of a lyrical essay by the Belgian novelist Jean-Philippe Toussaint entitled La Mélancolie de Zidane (2006).[186]

In 2010, footage of Zidane appeared in the "Waka Waka" music video by Shakira, which shows him celebrating France winning the 1998 World Cup.[187] In 2014, Australian sports presenter Les Murray collaborated with the band Vaudeville Smash and performed a Zidane tribute song, the accompanying video featuring four footballers performing ball tricks in Zidane masks, one of whom ends up headbutting a nightwatchman.[188][189] In 2016, Zidane was ranked one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan, which noted: "[Zidane's] modest character has endeared him to the wider public."[190]

Personal life

At the age of 17, Zidane met his future wife, Véronique Fernández (born in Aveyron of Spanish descent),[191] while playing for Cannes in the 1988–89 season. Married in 1994, they have four sons: Enzo Alan Zidane Fernández (born 24 March 1995), Luca Zidane Fernández (born 13 May 1998),[192] Theo Zidane Fernández (born 18 May 2002),[193] and Elyaz Zidane Fernández (born 26 December 2005). As of 2018, Enzo is a midfielder for CF Rayo Majadahonda, Luca is Real Madrid's fourth-choice goalkeeper, Theo (midfielder) is in Cadete A and Elyaz (midfielder) in Infantil B at the Real Madrid Academy.[194]